Let's keep it simple. Recruiters and Human Resources personnel want it clear, clean and quick. When we go through our files, we want to see names at the top, and to be able to scan a resume fast!!! Remember, we go through hundreds of resumes.

1. Try to keep it to one page.

2. Make sure your name, address, telephone, and email are at the top

3. Design it in outline form, in other words, be brief (very.)

4. Use indentation, font changes and bullets to make it easy on the eyes, easy to grasp. That said, do not go overboard. Usually, no more than three fonts are used. And use only the basic fonts - Arial and Times Roman with the tasteful application of italics and bold. Do not use fancy fonts.

5. Employers look for a steady progression of increasing responsibilities. We recommend organizing your resume by focusing on the titles you have held. Therefore, list titles first in a bold typeface, followed by the dates and the company\location. (See the sample resume.)

6. Under the title\date\company listing, sketch your experience. Recruiters and HR people are primarily interested in the concise details. Briefly list what products, processes and equipment you worked with, the number of people supervised, and the budgets you've managed. Use short phrases and keywords. For example, in poultry production the meaningful buzzwords are: "slaughter," "cook," "fresh," "cut-up," "debone," "IQF," etc.

7. A good place to use bullets is to highlight achievements on the job. Place this after the position description. (See the sample resume.) By "achievement" we mean something meaningful to the prospective employer as opposed to your personal trophies, and be quantitative if possible.

8. Don't talk dollars (past, current or desired) on your resume or cover letter. Better to negotiate money face-to-face.

9. Put your major bragging rights (accomplishments) on your cover letter, or if you have a number of them, on a separate page. Again, be brief.

10. Check your spelling. Sure, lots of great and smart people don't know how to spell, but you know what they say about first impressions. So don't look like a bozo, check your spelling.